Just to update everyone; The Kingdom Alliance Sportive Website is currently being constructed and will be launched shortly.  To view the current state of play go to the following URL:  www.tkas.ie

Anyone interested in being involved in the design and content of the website should contact the secretary.  All input would be welcome.

Following our recent application to Cycling Ireland, Tralee C.C. has been awarded the honour of hosting the 2013 National Hill Climb Championships.

The route is the climb up Foley’s Glen on the Tralee side of Sliabh Mish.  2013 is certainly going to be a busy year for Tralee C.C.

Here are some photos from Slí Trá Lí courtesy of Mike Quinn.

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Bernard Hinault cycled recently in the Tour of Connemara; Sean Kelly has the Tour of Waterford; Stephen Roche does the Tour de Cure…..so is it even remotely possible that the greatest of them all could come to Kerry for the Kingdom Alliance Sportive?  Recent media reports about Lance Armstrong referred to him as the greatest cyclist ever……….(the mind boggles) so lets put that one to bed straight away.  Eddy Merckx had over 525 wins in his palmares……Lance had less than 100…..nuff said.

Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born June 17, 1945 in Meensel-Kiezegem, Vlaams Brabant, Belgium), known as Eddy Merckx, is regarded (by those who know anything at all about cycling) as the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time.  He established several world cycling records, some of which remain unbroken to this day. Merckx was nicknamed “the cannibal” because he wanted to win every race he participated in and never “arranging” a race with another competitor. Other nicknames were “the Einstein of the two-wheelers”, and, courtesy of Jacques Goddet, “Le Géant” (The Giant).

The French magazine Vélo called him “the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known.”  The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all time.   He won the Tour de France five times, won all the monuments of cycling at least twice, with 19 monument victories in all, won the Giro d’Italia five times and the Vuelta a España once, won the world championship once as an amateur and three times as a professional, and broke the world hour record.

In his best year, Merckx won almost every other race he rode. Merckx won the equivalent of a race a week for six years.  This table shows his wins as a percentage of races undertaken.1965: 13%   1966: 21%   1967: 23%   1968: 24%   1969: 33%   1970: 37%   1971: 45%   1972: 39%   1973: 37%   1974: 27%   1975: 25%   1976: 13%   1977: 14%   1978: 0%

Moves are afoot to bring ‘the Cannibal’ to Kerry, but long time associate (at least in his own mind) Kas, our esteemed Directeur Sportif has denied any contact with the great man. Watch this space…..

Nike, the American sporting giants and chief sponsor of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong have come out in support of the former 7-time Tour de France champion. Rumour has it that they have made a statement in relation to their position regarding drug taking in sport.

What that statement is, I’ll leave you all to decide.  Lucky job we’re with Adidas!